Sound of Darkness, Sound of Light
by Ashoka Roque
Summary: Naruto discovers a mysterious child unconscious in the forest, but is pursued by dark forces when he tries to help.
1. Discovery

**Sound of Darkness, Sound of Light  
  
  
**Disclaimer: The "Naruto" characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi. I have put them in situations that diverge from the original storyline, but with no intent of compromising the integrity of his work. I make no profit from this story.  The character of Hikari is my own creation.  
  
C & C appreciated   ashoro@excite.com  
  
  
**Chapter One: Discovery**  
  
"..._dog...pig...rat...snake...tiger...dragon...tiger..."_

The expression on the boy's face was intense as his hands changed position with each whispered word.  Blue eyes burned with concentration. Small beads of sweat condensed underneath his wild blond hair and rolled down his face, leaving translucent trails over the light markings that radiated across his cheeks.

_Damn it, _he thought, _I've been working on this jutsuu for almost two days now.  Why is this giving me so much trouble? _

Uzumaki Naruto paused, then sighed. It was time to take a break. Looking up he realized that the day was already drawing to a close. The late afternoon sun against the trees cast shadows across the clearing. The canopy of autumn leaves above Naruto's head had displayed bright orange, red and gold earlier in the day. Now, with the daylight hours winding down, the colors had become muted and muddy. An early evening breeze rustled through the branches, sending the crisp, dry smell of the leaves spiraling downward to the boy below.  Taking a deep breath, Naruto felt like the essence of the woods was filling his lungs. It was a good feeling, bringing to mind thoughts of a summer's accomplishments, and work well done.  But it also carried a note of caution, because one knew that winter could not be far away.

_I should pack it in for the day,_ thought the young ninja, rolling his neck and shoulders to release the pent-up tension from hours of intense concentration.  He reached down to grab his orange jacket from the ground where he had laid it hours before. _I'll just have to try again tomorrow. Ero-senin said I should be able to do this by using just blue chakra, but I'm not getting it for some reason._

The young ninja's musing was cut short by a loud noise, almost like a roar of thunder, coming from the west.

"Nani?" The sound had been so forceful, and so unexpected, that the boy spoke out loud. "What in the hell was that?"  Naruto looked back up at the sky.  Though growing darker, it was obviously not threatening to storm.  

_Hmmm... this can't be good, _he concluded. Treading lightly, he sprung up into the branches of one of the smaller trees, then bounded from tree-to-tree towards the disturbance. His movement was surprisingly silent, and any watchers on the ground would have had trouble keeping him in view, as his orange pants and jacket blended in with the thick fall colors.

As he approached the source of the noise, Naruto noticed an acrid, burning odor that began to overpower the rich scent of the autumn forest.   A trail of smoke was visible against the early evening sky as well.  _Hmm, that's odd,_ the young ninja observed, _the smoke is spreading so low to the ground - almost like fog. _ Growing more curious, and slightly apprehensive, he changed his balance slightly, approaching the scene a little more quietly and cautiously then he had originally planned.  His right hand gripped a kunai knife that hung from his shoulder, wrist turned under, ready to throw if a foe appeared.

As Nauto approached the small clearing, the smell grew stronger, and the foggy smoke grew thicker.  But there appeared to be little else of interest present.  Scanning the ground and the trees, Naruto saw no movement other than a few wisps of smoke being parted by the autumn breeze.  There was no hint of flames, and the trees didn't show any sign of damage from fire. Then, looking more carefully at the forest floor, the boy noticed a small, pale shape near the center of the clearing.

Moving carefully, Naruto flipped the kunai in his hand, preparing for a block or jab if he was walking into some kind of trap. _Not that I should be worried right now - things have calmed down considerably over the last few months. _ Still, the boy crept forward with ninja caution.

The pale shape in the center of the clearing appeared to be a small child, of about seven or eight years old, with pale skin and black hair.  Its bare body was laying face down and motionless. There was no sign of any other person in the area. Naruto moved into the clearing, and crouched down. 

"Hey," called Naruto tentatively, as he reached out his hand to touch the still form.  He cringed slightly when he touched the child's skin. _Damn...cold as ice! _ Caution began to give way to concern, as Naruto gently grabbed the child by the shoulder and rolled it over.

He was a young boy.  Dark black eyebrows and lashes stood out starkly against the pale skin. His lips were colorless, and pursed shut. Naruto carefully placed his ear against the boy's bare chest, ignoring the discomfort of the ice-cold touch, and was relieved to hear a faint heartbeat and shallow breathing.  

"Don't worry kid - I'm here to help you.  Everything will be just fine." Naruto didn't think the child could actually hear him, but it felt important to sound reassuring anyway.  Removing his jacket, he carefully wrapped it around the small boy, then picked him up, holding him close to his chest.  "It might be a bit of a rough trip, but don't worry, I gottcha good and tight."  

_He needs some help, fast,_ thought the young ninja decisively, as he began once again to bound through the forest, the small, pale form held closely against his chest.

At the edge of the clearing, dark thoughts observed Naruto's departure with the pale child.  

_I/We follow._

The story continues in Chapter Two: Pursuit

C&C appreciated - ashoro@excite.com


	2. Pursuit

**Sound of Darkness, Sound of Light**

Disclaimer: The "Naruto" characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi. I have put them in situations that diverge from the original storyline, but with no intent of compromising the integrity of his work. I make no profit from this story.  The character of Hikari is my own creation.  
  
C & C appreciated   ashoro@excite.com**  
  
**

**Chapter Two: Pursuit**   
  
Several shadows separated themselves from the grey areas underneath the giant trees, and began to flow in the direction of Naruto's departure. 

_The village hospital ought to be able to take care of him...if we can get there in time. _ Naruto glanced down at the small bundle in his arms.  The child was surprisingly light, and seemed somewhat frail. _Not a shinobi-in-training, that's for sure, _thought Naruto. The child was obviously not able to care for himself, and it was a mystery as to how he could have gotten to the middle of the forest on his own, with no clothing, gear or weapons.  The forest wasn't a particularly dangerous place to someone like Naruto, or the dozens of other village children who worked and trained there.  But it wasn't without its hazards, either.  _I know how much it sucks to be alone, but don't worry, kid.  I'll make sure you get to someone who can take care of you. _

Just then Naruto caught movement out of the corner of his eye.  A dark, formless shape was racing along the ground underneath him.  For an instant, Naruto thought it might just be his shadow, but he dismissed that idea quickly. It was between Naruto and the setting sun, and the shape seemed to be wrong.  Glancing around, Naruto noticed several more of the shades skimming along the ground underneath him and to the sides.   _Man, this just isn't gonna get any easier, is it? _

Then, within his mind, Naruto 'heard' a dark, guttural voice.

_Leave the Child.  I/We only want the Child. _

_Great!_ thought Naruto, tension beginning to flow across the back of his shoulders.  _Let's see if I can lose these things.  _After several minutes of evasive maneuvers, he realized this wasn't  going do him any good.   _Guess that woulda been too much to expect. _  Naruto paused for a moment, hoping that the shadowy figures couldn't move up into the trees. Gingerly swinging the child over his left shoulder, he placed his hands together, forming the familiar seal with his fingers.

_"Kage Bunshin no Jutsuu!" _Naruto felt the familiar disorientation as his consciousness was momentarily fragmented into a dozen copies of himself. This quickly cleared as Naruto's shadow copies resolved into semi-independent clones, then moved down to the forest floor to engage and distract the pursuing shades.  

Naruto began moving forward, once again grasping the child against his chest and bounding through the trees. He hadn't gone but a few meters, however, before he realized that his copies had all been instantly destroyed, pounced on savagely by the black shapeless forms pursuing him across the forest floor. _Damn! That was too quick. This is getting serious._

Again, Naruto felt the mental call. _You cannot escape me/us.  I/We will take the Child._

"Like hell you will!" Naruto spoke aloud, defiant.  It seemed he was safe as long as he stayed in the trees, but he was going to have to go aground in a few minutes when he reached the fields surrounding the village.  _Think, damn it, think! There has got to be a way out of this._

Fortunately, while the dark shapes were able to keep apace with him, they did not seem to be able to pull ahead and surround him from the front.  _If I can just hold them for a little while, I can make the sprint to the village. Then the walls will stop them, or the watch. Hell, Anbu has been getting too much rest lately, anyway - if it even comes to that. _

While the standard Shadow Copy Jutsuu was obviously too weak to do much good, Naruto didn't need to delay his pursuers by much - only a matter of moments. A slightly stronger Copy might be just enough.  But that meant putting more chakra, and more of his consciousness - into the Shadow Copies. _Which means I may have to use red chakra - which will be dangerous. _ Naruto shuddered inside, at the thought of even some of  Kyubi's  consciousness gaining control of his Shadow Copies. _Ero-senin said to never mix chakra when using Kage Bunshin, but I'm running out of ideas.  I'll just use a little, this once.  _

Naruto paused on a large tree branch at the edge of the clearing surrounding the village, and again moved to drape the child across his shoulder. He formed the seal with his fingers, but hesitated.  He could almost feel Kyubi smiling inside him, licking his lips at the though of even part of his consciousness escaping, viscose drool dripping down his fangs.  If any of the nine-tail fox spirit's ego was able to slip past the Seal when Naruto tapped Kyubi's chakra, things might get even worse than they were at the moment. Naruto struggled, beginning to form the words with his lips. He could feel the blue chakra pulsing through his body, and the red chakra glowing seductively at his midsection. He began to extend his inner reach towards the pulsing scarlet power, when the child on his shoulder twitched.  Suddenly, an unfamiliar energy entered into his consciousness. _Nani! What is this...white chakra? How is that possible..?_

Naruto heard another mental call. _Take..take this..I haven't much left. _ The voice was clear and pure in Naruto's mind, yet much, much fainter than the darker voice of his pursuers. Before he could even begin to respond, he felt the white force enter his system, blending with his familiar chakra to produce a blue-white energy that surged with clean, unadulterated power.  It was as if the blood in his body had been replaced with a raging whitewater torrent - cold water that would have been frozen, only it was moving too quickly for ice to form. Before he knew what was happening, the words escaped his lips for the second time.  _"Kage Bunshin no Jutsuu!"_

This time, the disorientation was severe, and it was only because Naruto held the almost lifeless form of the child that he was able to remember who was real, and who was a copy.  Moving quickly to the ground,  Naruto struggled to move forward, and maintain his sense of self.  He was seeing through a dozen pairs of eyes, and feeling the struggle of a dozen different selves against the formless black blobs so close behind.    As he gained towards the village, he felt these additional consciousnesses savagely snuffed out, one by one.  It was still happening so quickly, but the enhanced copies were holding for a few moments longer than before, buying Naruto just enough time to rush through the village gate, past the astonished guards.   With a moan, the exhausted young ninja collapsed to the ground, overcome by the rush of sensation, the pale child clutched tightly to his chest like something precious.

-------------------

The story continues in Chapter Three: Hiakri

C&C appreciated - ashoro@excite.com


	3. Hikari

**Sound of Darkness, Sound of Light**

**Chapter Three: Hikari**   
  
****

Disclaimer: The "Naruto" characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi. I have put them in situations that diverge from the original storyline, but with no intent of compromising the integrity of his work. I make no profit from this story.  The character of Hikari is my own creation.  
  
C & C appreciated   ashoro@excite.com

  
The hospital room held two beds. On one, the small form of the blond ninja rested, an IV inserted into his left arm.  On the other bed rested the body of the even smaller pale child, attached to a number of machines that 'pinged' and 'ponged' occasionally.

Two men were looking down at the sleeping children. Both had shocking white hair, and were obviously strong and agile, but that was the end of any resemblance between the two.  The  younger of the pair wore his hair up in a spiky cut, and had half of his face covered.  The elder of the two was slightly more stocky, and had bold red designs inked on his face, making him look more frightening then he actually was.  

"Kakashi-kun," began the elder, "Has he come to yet?"

"Not yet," answered the younger man. "The doctor said they both seem to be in a state of shock. As you can see from their chakra...well, it's no wonder they lost consciousness."

Jiraiya looked from one bed to another, a grim expression on his face. "So, what was chasing them?"

"We aren't quite sure," replied Hatake Kakashi, with an apologetic shrug.  "The guards said they saw several of Naruto-kun's shadow copies struggling in the field in front of the main gate,  but they couldn't see who they were fighting.  They sounded the alert when Naruto-kun collapsed, but nothing approached the wall."

"Hmmm... normally, we'd take this up with the Hokage.." mused Jiraiya. "Not an option at the present moment, of course."

"We could ask the Elders to come to council, once we have more information," suggested Kakashi.

Jaraiya nodded. "Probably our course of action. As soon as..." he was interrupted by a groan from the blond ninja's bed.  Both men stepped over closer. Kakashi reached his hand down to touch the young man on the shoulder.

"Naruto-kun, you are in the hospital. You've slept through the night and into the next day, but both you and this child seem to be fine - just exhausted. Can you tell us what happened?"

Naruto opened his eyes, and smiled weakly.  In a scratchy voice, he began to relate the main points of the previous day's events - the loud noise, the unconscious child, the pursuit through the woods.  When he recalled the part about the mysterious white chakra that had invaded his consciousness, both men exchange a quick glance.   

"And this child.." began Jaraiya. 

"Hikari.." said Naruto. "His name is Hikari."

"Naruto-kun," said Kakashi, "You said he never regained consciousness. How do you know his name?"

"I...I don't know," replied Naruto, face growing puzzled. "I just do."  Wearied from the interrogation, mild though it had been,  the young boy rested his head back on his pillow.

"Well," said Jaraiya, "I guess we'll have time to continue this later, when you are stronger."  Both men  turned to leave the room, with a concerned glance back at the sleeping blond boy, and a more speculative look turned towards the occupant of the other bed.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Several days later, Naruto finally returned to his home, bringing with him a small visitor.

"Hikari-chan, you'll be staying here with me until we can decide how to get you home - wherever that is. Sensei thought this was the best place for you, and it'll be fun to have company for a while.  I'm not supposed to train for at least another week, and since there isn't anything big coming up, I think I'll kick back for a while.  Just hang with me- we'll have a blast!"

The younger boy looked around the little apartment, a slightly worried look dancing across his face. _Oni-chan, what smells so bad!?_

"Oh, ha, ha..." laughed Naruto, reaching up with his left hand to scratch the back of his head. "That's some of my leftover breakfast from last week... I kinda forgot to put it back in the icebox, I guess."  Naruto looked around his apartment, critically.  It was a mess, as usual.  Well, that might be okay for him living alone, but with Hikari staying there for who-knows-how-long, he'd have to clean up some. 

_And what's this book?_ asked Hikari, reaching for a copy of _Icha Icha Paradise_ sitting on the kitchen table. Naruto had snitched it from behind Kakashi's back a few months ago.

"Hey.." said Naruto, deftly snapping the book from the boy's hand. "That's...a secret training manual.  You aren't allowed to see it."   Blushing furiously, Naruto moved to change the subject. "You know, you can talk out loud if you want."

The boy's face took on a crestfallen look. _You don't like me in your mind?_ His eyes began to shimmer slightly, as if they might drop tears onto his fine, pale cheekbones.

"No, no, that's okay!" Naruto hurriedly reassured his new roommate. "It's fine. It's actually fun - nobody can hear what you tell me.  But how will you talk to anybody else?"  They had established in the hospital that only Naruto was hearing the boy's mental responses to the questions posed to him by the doctors and village elders. 

_I can't remember how to mouth  talk.  Just like I can't remember anything else..._

"Well, don't worry," said Naruto, putting his arm around the boy's shoulder reassuringly. "As long as I can hear you, you'll be fine.  I'll make sure you aren't alone..."

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Outside of the village, darks forms pulsed in the forest as the autumn grew colder.

_The Child is in the village. But I/we will wait._

_I/We can wait for a very, very long time...  
  
_

C&C appreciated - ashoro@excite.com

The story continues in Chapter Four: Revelations 


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